#339. Tips for Organizing Your DVD Collection

As DVDs become more affordable some people find themselves with a large library of movies that are mixed up and difficult to find. Luckily, it is not difficult to organize your DVD collection if you are willing to put a little bit of time and effort into it. It really doesn't matter how you organize your DVD collection whether it is by colored DVD cases or alphabetical order. You could even arrange them by running time if you want. The point is that you should know the method to your madness and keep the madness organized well enough to find your favorite movies when you want to watch them. The following suggestions will help you organize your DVD collection.

DVD Cases
If you're space is limited, or if your DVD shelving is filling up, a great way to maximize the room you have is to move your DVD's to slim DVD cases instead of the standard sized cases. This will keep your DVD's from piling up next to your shelving or stacked randomly around your home. A quick label on each case will allow you to locate the DVD you're looking for fast and easy when ordered in a fashion described in further detail below. You can also utilized a "clam shell case" which is a container case with the ability to hold multiple DVD's. This is helpful when ordering your DVD's by genre or by actor.

Alphabetically
If you are burning a lot of movies on blank DVD-R discs then you may find the easiest way to organize your collection is by sorting them alphabetically. Simply write the name of the movie on the DVD cases so it is easy to determine where the movie goes in the alphabet and where it should be returned to after viewing. By far, alphabetizing your collection is the easiest / most popular way to sort your collection, and anyone will be able to follow it. This means the likelihood of the DVD collection staying organized is higher...maybe!

Genre
If you have lots of movies from different genres then you may want to organize them this way. The important thing is for you to know what genre something goes in. For example, do you have a genre for romance, a genre for comedies, and a genre for romantic comedies? Or, are all of them mixed together? These are some of the important questions that need to be asked before deciding on a particular organizational method. Keep in mind, though, that if this is the method chosen it is important to write the names on the DVD as well as the DVD cases.

Favorite Actors
If you are really into to specific actors then you will want to have blank DVD-R discs around at all times so you can burn your favorite movie as it comes on. When your collection grows large enough and you want to organize it you will be able to have a stack of Will Smith movies and another stack of Tom Cruise movies, and so on and so forth. Some people who are really into their favorite actors will think they want to see an Angelina Jolie rather than a comedy. It's all about how you think about your DVDs!

Chronologically
Another system some people find works for their DVD collection is to have them in chronological order. Of course, this will be harder for other people to use if they aren't aware of the movie's release date, but some people find this method very helpful to them. You can also order them by the date you purchased the DVD if you're unsure of the release date.

Remember to always have DVD cases and plenty of blank DVD-R discs on hand so you can burn your favorite movie, or just a movie you like, the next time it is showing. You will be able to build your DVD library by being prepared.